Christ at the Center of Compassion

Galatians 6:7-10

click to listen

If there is one truth of scripture anyone, believer or not, can affirm, it is this: What one sows, one reaps; what you plant - you harvest; causes have effects,  actions have consequences.  Yet, as strongly as we hold this to be true; and as much as we teach this to our children; there remains within each of us a secret hope that though everyone else may get what they deserve; some how, some way; I’ll get by -  no matter what I’ve done or haven’t done. Though I scatter dandelion seeds throughout my life; everything will still come up roses.  To that way of thinking Paul says, “God will not be mocked, for whatever a man sows, he will reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

Today’s passage is about spiritual agriculture.  The Apostle Paul lays out the laws of the Harvest.  His motive is one of pure encouragement, so that we will “not grow weary in well-doing.” (Galatians 6:9)   Seed-time and harvest is the cycle of our lives.  Before we learn to plant we need to learn to pray.  So, let’s do that right now:

Lord of the Harvest: We confess that we have grown weary in well doing.  The problems are too great; our ability to respond too feeble.  Generosity has been misused; kindness has been taken for granted.  So we face the temptation to give in and give up; and so do nothing more than to feather our own nest.

Yet, you continue to invest yourself in us.  You have sent your son Jesus Christ; you continue to pour out your Spirit upon our world; out of your love you continue to give - and you call on us to do the same - to love and to give.  Teach us Lord to love more deeply that we might plant seeds with our lives; so one day rejoice as we count the harvest.  This we pray through Jesus name.  Amen.

If I told you that the best way to lose weight is to eat two Big Macs a day and wash them down with a double fudge chocolate milk shake; you’d think that wishful thinking.  If I told you that the best way to enjoy good health is to smoke three packs a day; you’d think me naive.  If I told you that the road to financial security is found my maxing out your credit cards and never saving a dime; you’d think me foolish.  If I told you the best way to make friends is to stay locked up in your home; you’d tell me I am not realistic.  Why?  Because you know, we all know, for the most part, “life is what you make of it.”  We don’t lose weight by binging on fast food; we don’t avoid addictions by indulging them; we don’t

accrue wealth by spending it; and hermits don’t make friends.  What we do determines who we become.  The outcome of our lives is the natural result of we put into our lives.

We all hold this truth to be self-evident in every area of our lives, so we strive for a good education, look for a good job, work hard so that we can make something of ourselves.  We teach our children to do the same, to  work hard, do their best; and we promise them they will enjoy the reward that follows.  Even though, we as adults, know it doesn’t always work out that way - the righteous don’t always prosper, nor are the evil always punished; “it does rain on the just and the unjust”. (Matthew 5:45)

For the most part, though, we do have the conviction that you reap what you sow in nearly every area of our lives except that which is most important; and that is our relationship with God.  Somehow, when it comes to God, we all become a bit lazy.   We count on the indulgence of God as a jolly grandfather, who is content to bounce us on his knee; but has no real expectations other than that.  So we believe, we can misbehave; doing things we’d never do at home; but knowing that we’re at Grandpa’s house now - so the rules have loosened up.  Grandpas will put up with anything.

As Paul concludes his letter to the Churches in the region of Galatia; he surfaces this long common attitude for the purpose of burying it once and for all.  He warns,  “God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  For he who sows to his own flesh will from flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)

In other words the spiritual life operates on some of the same principles as those which govern the world in which we live.  That is - actions have consequences.  The difference though between the economy of the world and that of the Kingdom of God is determined by which field you choose to plant.  Where are you going to spend all of your time, effort, energy, commitment, thought?

There are two fields to choose from.  Paul calls them “flesh” and “spirit”.  In the fifth chapter he described in graphic detail what these two look like.  The “flesh” is characterized by “immorality, impurity, idolatry, jealousy, anger, selfishness and the like.” (Galatians 5:19) It is primarily concerned with self - my needs, my wants, my desires; and less concerned with others. The “Spirit” on the other hand is known by its concern for others - “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

We plant the seeds that bear such fruit as we pray, worship, study God’s Word; and live according to His Will.

Paul says there are natural consequences which follow the choices we make.  Choose to plant in the field of flesh he says, and you will harvest corruption.  Choose to invest yourself in the field of the “spirit” and you will receive eternal life.  And eternal life is more than just an endless calendar; it is the pure joy that comes from “knowing the true God”. (John 17:3)

The Bible is full of stories which illustrate how true is this principle of harvesting what you plant. Today I don’t even need to go there; because you know it’s true.  You’ve seen it in others; and maybe in your most honest moments - you’ve seen it in yourself.   You’ve seen people sow the seeds of the flesh and reap corruption.

 In his letter to the Church in Corinth, Paul described the consequence,

“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,  his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13) The fire is God’s judgment; and God will not be mocked.

The quality of your life, the purity of your soul is determined by your focus - on the flesh or on the Spirit?  Now, I can see some are pulling at their collars; because such determinism seems rigid.  It’s like that old Peanuts cartoon.

Charlie Brown was walking with Lucy and Snoopy.  In the first frame Lucy is in one of her philosophical moods.  She says, “Sooner or later, Charlie Brown, there’s one thing you’re going to have to learn...”  Then in the next frame, “you reap what you sow! You get out of life exactly what you put into it!  No more and no less!”  The final frame shows Snoopy thinking about what Lucy just said.  A bit forlorn, he thinks, “I’d kind of like to see a little more margin for error!

So, would we all!  Except for the grace of God, there is no margin for error.  Life is exactly what you make of it. If not for Jesus Christ we would all “fall short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)  But, God’s grace does allow for our margin of error; and “love does cover a multitude of sins”. (1 Peter 4:8)  But, we must take care that we do not presume upon that grace; take it lightly or take it for granted.  If we do; we become window shoppers, who walk quickly past the store front window on Sunday morning, glance at God and comment to ourselves, “Well, isn’t that nice” ;and then we move on to see what’s in the next window.  Then we miss what’s really on the inside.  God’s grace is something you have to put on.  You have to walk around in it.  You’ll find so satisfaction, no inner peace, no strength of spirit if God’s grace is just a bauble you glance at in passing. 

The New Testament concept of “Putting on Christ” (Galatians 3:27, Romans 13:14) is essential if we are to avoid “growing weary in well doing - to avoid losing heart”. (Galatians 6:9) Running out of gas is easy for people who are on the run.  And nobody is on the run more than the average member of this Church.

We all feel the tug and pull on our calendars and our checkbooks.  Maybe we’ve given our “all” on some long ago project; something we really put out for something believed in;  but the results were disappointing and the problems still persistent.  We gave money to the poor; but people are still poor.  We fed the hungry; but people are still hungry.  And on and on it goes.

So, we face the temptation to give in and give up; to throw our hands in the air and cry out “the problems are too many and the needs too great!”  Sociologist have even developed a label for such a feeling.  They call it “compassion fatigue”.  Ironically, the only people who really seem to suffer from this are those who really feel the suffering of other people.  Those who don’t care never weary of caring, because they never begin. 

Often, it is people from the pews who grow discouraged because they have planted; but have yet to see a harvest.  Maybe this is you.  If it is, remember this verse.  God does promise a harvest.  Seeds of love and sacrifice will bear fruit.  We may not see it right away. We may not even see it in this life time.  But, God promises there will be a harvest.

I learned that early on in my ministry, when I served as a student intern and Youth Director at the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.  Although this was a well off congregation with many member occupying the highest rungs of the social-economic latter, the surrounding community was largely blue collar.  Many of the kids who came to the Youth Group meetings were the neighborhood, but not the church.  Some of them were pretty challenging and one of them impossible.  His name was Kirk. He always wore torn blue jeans and ragged t-shirts and hair that was long and scraggly.  Every Wednesday night he came for the food and the games, but was never much interested in my Bible Studies.  He was always bored and often disruptive, but I plugged away week after week and never thought I made a dent.

I graduated Seminary and was called to a couple of churches in the area.  About 8 or 10 years later I went back to Shadyside for some kind of conference and when I went to the registration table and gave my name, a good looking young man behind the table looked up and said, “Pastor Greg do you remember me?”  I didn’t have a clue.  He said, “I’m Kirk.  I used to go to your Youth Group.”  Then he told me he had accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior, joined the church and was now serving as a Deacon.

Now, I would never had known that if not for this coincidence of him working the table and me coming to the conference.  How many others may be out there?  I don’t know.  But, God does.  I remember that when I grow weary in well doing.

One day Jesus went out preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, pray therefore to send out laborers into his harvest.”  (Matthew 9:35-38) 

Did you catch his solution to “compassion fatigue”?  What was his response to the great need that he saw? He cites a two-fold solution to the problem.  First, it begins with prayer.  “Pray therefore to the Lord of the Harvest”.  When you feel that hardness of the heart which tightens each time your generosity has been misused; when you feel the fatigue that wears out your soul each time you hear of another problem that demands your attention; when you want to just toss your hands in the air and mutter “let someone else do it” - stop and pray.

Prayer will be the conduit through which the power of God flows.  Cut yourself off from that and you will grow weary in well doing.  Create time to pray and you will experience a renewed energy.

Second, Jesus says, “Pray for more laborers”.   Many hands make light work.  The oft quoted statistic in the Church is that 20% of the people do 80% of the work.  I’ve never figured the statistics out at Eastminster, so I don’t know how well we’d measure up.  Even so, how much more could be accomplished if each of us took “the opportunity to do good”. (Galatians 6:10)

And opportunities are everywhere.  Vacation Bible School is coming up and we’re going to need some help there.  Sunday School will soon follow. In the fall we are going to need help in the nursery.  The Mission Committee does important work and could use some help as well.

Sometimes I hear people say, “I’ve done my time teaching Sunday School or helping in the nursery”.  Now, the only other people I ever hear talk about doing their time are those in prison.  They talk about doing their time and getting out, but that should not be the attitude of a disciple of Jesus Christ.  We should not equate helping to care for our children and teaching them the good news of Jesus Christ with jail.  We should see it as planting seeds for their future.  We may not always see the results of our efforts, but God does and the Lord will remember what we have done in this place and with our children.

If you have grown weary in well-doing, and have said to yourself, I’ve done my time, let someone else do it, pray to the Lord of the Harvest that he will send laborers into the field and pray that you will be one of them. 

Remember, God has been gracious; and so those who follow ought to be gracious as well. You see, disciples of Jesus always keep their eyes upon the future, “keeping their eyes fixed upon Jesus”. (Hebrews 12:2)  If there is one thing the empty tomb of Easter proves - it is that there is always a future.  Together, as God’s children; let us work to make that future better for our children and children yet to be.  So, continue to sow and plant your seeds of hope as you see the opportunity.

Let us pray:

Divine Sower, plant us deep into the furrows of your love.  Let us know the depths of your compassion, the warmth of your care, and the waters of your blessing. Let our worship breath through the crustiness of tradition, and sprout in wonder and praise.  Amen.